DJ Cuppy, called ‘one of the foremost DJs in Africa’ and an internationally acclaimed philanthropist from Nigeria, has announced the creation of the Cuppy Africa Scholars Fund. The fund, totalling £100,000, will allow African graduate students at the University of Oxford to access funding for unexpected and urgent financial needs. It will also allow scholars to ‘undertake activities that will ensure the pursuit of excellence’.
Cuppy herself graduated from Oxford in 2022, undertaking a Master’s degree in African Studies. She said: ‘I saw first-hand the variances in university life experiences for students originating from my continent, Africa. The fundamental role that the Cuppy Fund will play is to narrow resource gaps for those who need it the most so they can fully commit to pursuing the education they deserve.’
The fund will support the previously established Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx), working across the University ‘to make engagement with Africa a strategic priority for Oxford’. The initiative pushes for more African students to pursue graduate degrees at the University, and the gift will allow it to ‘meet the needs of the most vulnerable students’, including students with any form of disability or caring responsibilities.
Dr Anne Makena, co-director of AfOx, stated: ‘We are absolutely delighted that Cuppy is so generously supporting African graduate students here at Oxford. We both share the experience of being African graduate students at Oxford and it is a great honour for AfOx to partner with Cuppy to address some of the unique challenges that African students might encounter during their time at Oxford.’ Makena also expressed her wish that the fund would empower graduate students to ‘continue on to remarkable careers as champions of development in African countries and globally.’
DJ Cuppy holds a degree from King’s College London in Business and Economics and a master’s degree in Music Business from New York University. She is also a prominent philanthropist, holding ambassador positions at Global Citizen, Save the Children UK, and Lagos SGDs Youth Alliance. Her charity, the Cuppy Foundation, previously raised over 5 billion naira (close to £9 million) for Save the Children, and is aimed at tackling issues surrounding child protection and education for girls and persons with disabilities.
Her prolific music career has resulted in a feature on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, a performance at the MTV Africa Music Awards, and collaborations with Wyclef Jean and Megan Thee Stallion.
